Dusty Cartridge Debates: Xbox One vs PS4 vs Wii U

With the battle for next-gen supremacy less than three months away Dusty Cartridge decided to pit two of their finest crackers in a literary fight to the death; Who will win the next-generation of gaming? Go!

Martin: Well the Wii U we can pretty much scrap at this point in time. Nintendo couldn’t move that home console if it was positioned at the top of a downward slope, leading into the arms of jobless dole bludgers.

They’ve already lost support from most 3rd party publishers and the other next-gen consoles aren’t even out the gates yet. Which is exactly what happened with the Wii and the GameCube.

Trent: Alright alright, let’s stop pushing the fat, useless kid into the mud because he’s not as cool as the bigger kids. Sure, the Wii U might not have the snazzy racing stripes the other consoles have, but when I look at my solid collection of Wii U games and all the great times I’ve already had with them this year, I know the Wii U still matters. New Super Mario Bros U, Pikmin 3, Monster Hunter, Nintendo Land – hell I even loved my time with ZombiU. It might not be in the same league as the big boys but it’s still relevant, it still hits a market and with more titles on the way, it can still become a living room favourite.

Martin: True, it does it hit a market, but there’s little chance of it becoming a living room favourite. Xbox One seems to have that squarely in their sites considering the emphasis they’ve placed on motion controls next generation. And I’m pretty confident they’ll get it too.

Trent: I’m not saying Wii U will ever be THE living room favourite, but once games like Mario Kart come along I can see more families, kids, fans and drinking game aficionados grabbing a tight hold of it. As far as overall entertainment and lifestyle function, its crappy remote control function for the TV will have nothing on Xbone’s interactivity. But that’s not to say it doesn’t have its place on the mantle.

The Wii U, still just a kids machine?

Martin:…collecting dust.

Look, I don’t hate the console, and there are games for it I’m looking forward to (primarily X), but I can’t see it toppling either side of the competition.

Trent: When we look back at the Wii, would you say it toppled the competition? I don’t think so, but it did become somewhat of a staple in households. Even my grandma knew how to swing around a Wiimote.

Martin: In pure hardware sales it did because of the novelty of its motion controls. It immediately struck a cord with non-gamers (like your grandma) because the concept of swinging a controller to hit a tennis ball required no previous knowledge of gaming. Negating a small selection of first party games however, its software sales were abysmal, especially by the end of its lifespan when even Nintendo had given up on it.

So Xbox One or PS4?

Trent: PS4 my friend. I’m all for the PS exclusives. I don’t need to talk to my TV to watch sports.

Martin: Prior to E3 I would have said the same thing, but they’ve invested $1 billion in exclusives, and their launch line-up is looking stronger than Sony’s.

Trent: Can you trust the Microsoft that seemed so out of touch only a few months ago, to now do everything perfectly? They can promise the world and throw $ signs at you, and yet it doesn’t mean anything until they can prove themselves and regain our trust.

Martin: People are always going to get upset when they’re used to having something and then it’s taken away, it’s part of the human condition. But would an always-on console really be so bad aside from being locked out of the system if you couldn’t connect?

Trent: I live out in the sticks – the cow shit, water tank, toothless farmer, tractors on the road sticks. My Internet is slow, unreliable and drops out more often than pregnant teenagers drop out of year 9. If my gaming time was constantly interrupted or diminished because of my lack of internet, it would be a constant reminder of how little Microsoft cares about the average consumer, rather focusing on the wealthier American looking to play COD and watch football. Always–on would be beneficial by keeping you up to date at all times, but for the millions of consumers around the rest of the world that don’t want to be connected or have Domino’s ads subtly infiltrating their living room, the Xbone is going to be a pain in the arse.

Who will come out on top?

Martin: So the core reason you’re going Sony is you don’t trust Microsoft, and you prefer Sony exclusives – what exclusives are you talking about?

Martin: When we get down to it, this next generation should be all about the games. I think it comes down to taste in the end, steak and chips, or schnitty and gravy. While I realise the effort Xbox is putting in to pump out new exclusives, I think people will still have to make their decisions from past experiences and exclusives. I play both 360 and PS3, and when I look towards the future I am far more excited for a new Nathan Drake adventure than another Gears of War romp. Although Xbox is creating and launching a number of amazing looking exclusives (Titanfall), most people still won’t know what they are buying into. Sony on the other hand is tickling their fan’s fancy by launching Killzone and Infamous early to capture fans attention – it’s a security blanket.

Martin: Gonna have to pull you up there. Early adopters of the Xbox One know what they are buying into because they’ve had a stronger line-up of exclusive games announced; Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, Titanfall, Ryse, Forza 5, Halo 5, Quantum Break, Sunset Overdrive and Project Spark. The PS4 has some great games confirmed, but they’re resting more on consumer trust that the company will deliver as many quality exclusives as they did with the PS3. The next Kinect is another deal breaker for me. I want to see 1:1 motion control support (primarily for sports games) and Microsoft is taking every possible step to make that happen, while Sony is only half-committing to the tech.

The way I see it Microsoft is offering a console that appeals to both core gamers, and a larger mainstream market. They’re looking to expand their fan base outside the traditional gaming market. Yes, I’m very excited for both, though at this point in time I see the Xbone outlasting/outselling the PS4.

Trent: I’m not saying the Xbox hasn’t got a solid exclusive line-up, but they aren’t launching with many well known ones. So when the time comes to buy the new console, consumers will want something they recognise and can jump into, not a long list of unproven titles. You can dance around your bedroom as an arm flailing tube man all day while I sit comfortably knowing that motion controls are over and Sony knows it doesn’t need to continue on with fads.

Martin: How wrong you are Trent, just you wait and see!

So the two bleach boys have hit a stale mate, and as per Dusty Cartridge policy, will be dipped in a delicious egg, flour and breadcrumb mix, then deep-fried to perfection. But what are your thoughts on the next generation of gaming? Drop down and let us know in the comments below!

Marty is a contributor at Dusty Cartridge. He's also a freelance videogames journalist and borderline game addict. When he isn't slaying demons in Dark Souls he's meditating or attempting to lucid dream. You can follow his pearls of wisdom on Twitter @GladstoneMartin.

I will buy Nintendo as long as they are around, and until there is no other option I will not own an Xbox or PS. Nothing to do with tech specs and everything to do with fun. I have friends who own Xbox and PS and unless you like FPS games (which I don’t) then the “big boys” have little to offer me. I am stating this as my opinion and not an argument in favor of Nintendo, so please don’t feel the need to “prove” me wrong, because you can’t prove that I don’t like everything Nintendo far better than games from the other systems. Mario, Metroid, StarFox, Zelda, DK…these are games I could play until the day I die and as of now there is only one place I can get them.

Brian Izadfar

PS4 for me, solely for GT6! Agree with the past decisions, might be a lame reason – the xbox controller has traditionally been chunky. I like the subtle evolutions of the original PSx controller. much more comfortable..

Martin Gladstone

Umm GT6 is a PS3 exclusive. Unless you’re talking about the unannounced GT7. Drive club and The Crew could also be right up your alley if you’re into racing games for the PS4

Lindsay Schroder

PS4 will be in my household sitting proudly next to my Wii U’s (eventual) pile of exclusives I somehow get convinced into buying every generation. I agree with trent that Nintendo hasnt held top position in the console race for years even decades, but definately brings a colourful dynamic to the table the others sometimes lack.

http://spawn-base.tumblr.com/ Norbert Demeter

It’s gonna take a looot of trust-earning from Microsoft for me to ever buy an XBox One. It’s not the policies they wanted to introduce, but the fact that they went back over them many times, and they kept saying contradictory stuff, which means they were trying to bullshit us to save their asses. We’re just getting out of a big-ass revolution here in Romania against corporations, so my blood is boiling, I’m out to punish bullshit corporate strategies
PS is my way to go for now, or you know what else? PC

Martin Gladstone

Always-online would have its benefits but I don’t think we’re quite ready for it yet. Still it would have been interesting to see what Microsoft had planned.